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Kerry
Daigle |
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FINDING A MENTOR
Finding a mentor is crucial in developing any business or in propelling your career. You might ask..what is a mentor?
Very simply, a mentor is a person who has been successful in their career or business, who takes a person under
their wing to help them become successful in their own right. Mentors are the teacher.we are the student.by Kerry Daigle Mentorship is almost like developing a friendship. Mentoring takes time and finding the right mentor can make a difference in your level of successes. Finding a mentor can be life altering so you want to approach a potential mentor with modesty, preferably unassumingly, and respectfully with much caution. You don't want to be speaking at the top of your voice exclaiming, "I am looking for a mentor"....as you are definitely not going to find one in that fashion. There are people out there who you can find who are looking to share their knowledge with an eager student whether that person is a young upstart or an older professional. A good way to start is by taking that potential 'mentor' to lunch and without question be certain to pick up the meal ticket. Ask questions with sincerity, respect, modesty, and appreciation remembering this person you are seeking does not have to spend their time mentoring you. It is an 'honor' to have someone willing to offer their knowledge and wisdom to you. Be aware of that opportunity that awaits you in finding the right mentor. Make certain that you make that person feel good about the knowledge they are sharing with you and your appreciation of their time and most importantly, find out what you can do to help your 'new teacher' , and then don't talk about it...but do something to show your appreciation. You want to develop that relationship on a gradual basis based on a mutual give and take, and always try to do more for your mentor than he or she is doing for you. Why should a mentor help you ...you may ask? Very simply, successful people enjoy being mentors and even seek out students as it is an opportunity to give back to others for their successes. Mentors want to be remembered by those who follow their advice and go on to be successful in their own right. Ego could probably have something to do with the process of teaching others how to succeed but that is what I call 'positive ego' by assisting others to reach a level in their professional lives. In my career of sales, marketing, public relations, writing, and professional speaking, I cannot say there was any 'one' person I can call my mentor, however, I can easily think of scores of people I've surrounded myself with that I constantly speak to. It is almost astounding the number of questions my mentors have answered for me and the invaluable information they have shared over time. Without them in my life I would not have had the success I enjoy today and I say that without any reservation. I constantly tell people that I may not be the brightest individual in my field but I have surrounded myself with exceptionally bright people. One thing you may want to do is to join organizations made up of others in your profession or form your own 'mastermind' group that could meet once a week or month either on the phone through conference calls or over lunch or dinner should they be local. Advice for your business or profession again is invaluable. Be sure to treat the information in that way. One thing I like to do is to send out a 'thank you' card or 'note' handwritten to everyone after a valuable teaching session or conversation. When you are networking for mentors it is very important to respect their time, especially since you are asking for 'free advice and information'. One thing I do when calling one of my mentors I always ask that person on the phone immediately, "Do you have three or four minutes to answer a question or give me some advice or would it be better if I called you at another time?" Don't be a burden to them and waste their time. Time is a valuable commodity. Be very sensitive to their needs and when you say you only need three or four minutes be certain to stick to that schedule. If you become too long winded your proposed mentor could start ignoring your calls before long. Respect their time. Don't take advantage of the honor they have offered you to give 'information' that could prove to be invaluable to you. I know in my heart that many of my mentors have been instrumental in my earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. I've always respected their time and have always given back all I possibly could have in showing my appreciation. That is an important trait of being a good student understanding that one day the student becomes the teacher. I've emphasized earlier that writing a thank you note is important and this bears repeating. Regardless as to whether the information your mentor has shared with you has proven to be productive for you at that particular time you should always let that person know they are appreciated. Another reason is to let that person know their time wasn't wasted in speaking to you and that you are taking their wisdom for granted. Everyone likes to be shown some respect and appreciation. Thanking someone needs to come automatically without hesitation or reservation. It never gets to be a burden to receive 'thank you notes' from people. I have people that constantly have offered advice that has led to 'new' business across the world for me and these people have always let me know how they appreciated my 'thank you notes'. I am very convinced that is a major reason why my mentors have always given me their valuable time. Computers with email and faxes among other modern technology will never be as meaningful as a note that has been hand-written and mailed. One other rule of thumb is when you become a mentor and you give something to someone or do something to help someone move forward in their professional life, do not ever ask for or expect a repayment. You more you give....you more you will receive. Believe me...it works. Keep Punching!  |
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Kerry Daigle is a writer, author, and public speaker. He is an owner of a Juice Plus Virtual Franchise
directly out of his home
www.kerrydaigle.com.
, a publishing company, and a promotional company working with professional boxers, authors, and speakers.
His personal website, www.keeppunching.com
features his archived radio shows from KSLO and KOGM, www.kslokogm-fm.com,
with short 10 minute personal development programs and interviews with some of the most
successful authors and speakers in the world. Kerry can be reached by email at keeppunching@cox.net. Feel free to write to Kerry about his articles and any questions you may have. And as Kerry says...KEEP PUNCHING! |
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